So, here I sit on March 25th (how’d THAT happen?) and it’s time to be vocal about stuff for the next three months. My lackadaisical progress so far isn’t something I want to continue. That said, now that there’s a bit more routine in my life, I’m hopeful for better progress on all fronts.
Top on the list is my article/project work for Jacey. I’ve already spun up 2oz of BFL for warp, even though my original thought was to use millspun for warp, and it’s possible that the singles will be done by the middle of next week. That means plying by the end of next week and I can, possibly be weaving by the end of the month. That puts me on track to be done in time for the submission, which is due June 1. By no means a cake walk, but I do have sufficient millspun as a fallback in case the BFL doesn’t work as planned. Cautious optimism!
Assuming I’m able to get my vest done in relatively short order, I’m going to start thinking about the next round of fabric. Recently, I’d been thinking about linen. I’ve not woven with it before and I like the notion of trying to come up with something that will take advantage of it’s more wonderful qualities. Phreadde (I think) shared some pictures of an unstructured shirt that was appealing – and the muslin would be quick and easy to make. Regardless, something with linen, perhaps with that linen/silk along for the ride. I’m going to give myself permission to do something other than a vest, but linen will be the theme.
I’d also like to get another whack of fabric done so that I can make another shirt. 20/2 cotton (I’ve got loads), something with stripes, and maybe a hint of color. I do like the shirt I made, but I’d like it to have a more traditional collar/neckline. Jeane and I did a pattern workup for this back in December and I need to follow through on it.
Separately, dishtowels. Lots and lots of dishtowels. It’s not too early to be thinking about getting the booth stocked for September. I put a 16 yard warp on the Gilmore on Saturday and the first four towels are already done. By the way, Sara, the anti-spin kit is BRILLIANT. All that remains to be updated is swapping out the perished foam under the jacks. They stick just a wee bit so that’s likely on the list once this warp is done.
So … (counts on fingers) … four substantial warps? With turning the resulting fabric into something? That sounds good. And a linen shirt for summer is very appealing, you know. Or a cotton shirt with linen skirt/pants/shorts. What kind of dishtowels? What’s an anti-spin kit? Any hints about the Jacey project? My Norwood has perished foam under the jacks as well; I need to get around to replacing it, once the loom is all in one room and re-assembled.
No hints about the Jacey project – I don’t know what her policy is, but this is a public(ish) place and I absolutely don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with her. This is meant to be the beginning of a beeee-U-ti-ful friendship. :-)
The dishtowel warp is my standard “Keep It Simple” towels; mix of twill and huck. 16 yards, so 15 towels. Black warp so I get to use All!The!Colors! and make happy things. The next warp will be “mixed” (hold 5 ends together, wind the warp, thread randomly and weave off in plain weave. Boom. That’ll be about half of what I want to stock, so that’s a good dent.
The “anti-spin kit” is a collar and spring of the warp axle that acts a bit like a friction brake. Since the Gilmore has a pawl and ratchet mechanism on both the front and back, the warp beam has a tendency to free-wheel when I release the brake (Pawl) and makes advancing a dicey business. There’s a “Gilmore Dance” than we do – it involves getting up, holding the crank on the cloth beam and gingerly releasing the brake. No more for me! And, since it’s so easy, I’m advancing the warp more often. Makes for yummy fabric.
And finally, yes – shirts/skirts for summer are in the mix. And, Vogue is having another big online sale – all patterns for $3.88. I’ll be stocking up both for me *and* for Chris.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that there’s a sample set of placemats for the shop so that I can teach/lead a class on the Rigid Heddle. I’ll “cheat” and probably do it on the table loom (if that ever shows up) both as a test run of that loom and because I imagine that it’ll be faster than on the Rigid Heddle.
So – another busy quarter!